As well as regular Potion Club over the summer at Dilston Physic Garden medical herbalist Davina Hopkinson has created a new fun and fascinating course for children aged between 8 and 12 (guide) who want to learn more about the intriguing world of plants for medicine.

Potion Club EXTRA brings 6 unique and interactive sessions in 2018 that are monthly on Saturdays, starting in March through to September 2018 (except one Sunday and excluding August).

Delve in to the magical world of herbs. Learn all about local plants you find in the garden, hedgerows, woods and fields. We’ll be going out to forage for some of these. Each month we’ll explore which plants are growing and how they can be turned into medicine. Like spring tonics to give your body a kick start after the long winter months, or roots and berries in autumn to make cold and flu remedies.

We’ll choose a plant of the month and explore it – what it does, how it does it, and see how to turn it into a real effective potion! Different plants can be used for parts of our body – like to help digestion, boost our immunity and even help us sleep – we’ll discover just how these plants can be used to help healing.

With a little scintillating history (herbal medicine goes back 60,000 years!) thrown in, there’ll be some telling of mysterious magical herbal folk tales and of course plenty of safe remedy making. Each month children can enjoy filling in a their own Potion Book where they can add their own thoughts and artwork.

Cost for each Potion Club EXTRA is £15 or £25 for two, with a discount for booking the whole course. Please bring your own packed lunch. For further information and to register your interest in future Potion Clubs or home education groups contact Davina on 01661 842897 or davinaherbalist@gmail.com.

Dilston Physic Garden’s director and curator are publishing a book on plants for the brain – ‘Botanical Brain Balms: Essential plants for memory, mood and mind’ with Filbert Press UK and publishers in the U.S., France and Germany.

‘The benefits of a plant-based diet to physical health are well-known and scientific research now shows that plants can improve mental health too. Many leaves, roots and berries contain ingredients that boost cognitive skills and alleviate common problems like stress, fatigue and mood swings – without the side effects of conventional drugs.
In this authoritative guide, experts in herbal medicine and neuroscience recommend plants for a wide range of problems. They explain the science behind how they work and suggest easy remedies and exercises that are pleasant to take and make part of your daily routine.
Beautifully illustrated, Botanical Brain Balms is packed full of safe and natural ways to improve the way you think and feel.’

“A great book and the one I’ve been waiting for – scientific, accessible and eminently useable.” Bunny Guinness